Department of Homeland Security Actions on Immigration Case

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has confirmed that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will detain individuals previously charged with violent crimes, including one man accused of strangling his sister with a charging cord in northern Virginia.

DHS released information regarding Alvaro Mejia-Ayala, who entered the U.S. in 2016 with family. He was allowed to remain in the country under the Obama administration but had his immigration case denied on October 17, 2024, by the Biden administration, leaving his status unresolved.

The infant victim was hospitalized following the incident and was reportedly in a critical condition due to the assault.

Mejia-Ayala was previously arrested in 2024 for reckless driving but was released before ICE could take action to detain him.

“What kind of depraved individual strangles a defenseless, innocent baby with a cord? This sort of violence has no place in our country,” stated DHS Deputy Secretary Tricia McLaughlin in a statement to Blaze News. “ICE is working to ensure that this dangerous criminal does not remain on our streets. The message from President Trump and Secretary Noem is clear: criminal aliens are not welcome here.

On September 17, the Leesburg Police responded to a report about an unresponsive infant. By the time officers arrived, Mejia-Ayala had already fled but was later apprehended with the assistance of the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office.

Given the timeline, Mejia-Ayala was just a boy when he first entered the U.S. Like the Obama administration, the Biden administration has also permitted the processing of family units, including small children and unaccompanied minors, which unfortunately sometimes allows individuals to falsely present their ages to bypass detention.